Range in combat
Making distance matter.

I won't pretend to be a coder, or a game designer, but this seems like something that could do with being considered. Here's my own small idea of how to simulate distance in combat.

One: Each weapon is given it's own generalized effective distance. Most unarmed attacks obviously have the least possible range, going up to short blades, followed by melee weapons, long blades and short-ranged firearms, followed by medium, and then long range firearms.

Two: Each room is given it's own generalized size. A street is a Huge space; characters would need to run up on each other, through a crowd, to attack. Something like a bedroom is a Small space; most anyone would be able to attack with anything they have in such a small area.

And then have those two ideas... mesh together somehow. Characters wielding melee weapons would have to approach each other in order to attack each other; closing the distance in order to enter their own effective ranges. The speed of this would probably be determined by each character's own personal speed. If Person A has a longer-ranged weapon, but their opponant only has their fists, maybe Person A would be able to get some free swings/shots/slices off while their oppant needs to continue to close in in order to deliver a beating. Like I said, I'm not a game designer; this is just my first, sloppy idea as to how this could be remedied.

Maybe some of you also have some similar combat gripes, and have ideas to fix them?

Ranged characters already have unique tools and advantages, they don't need a straight up combat advantage mechanically over other players, that idea would never happen.

But... they don't. In combat, it seems to be assumed that all characters are standing next to one another, trading blows and dodges.

Different guns do have different ranged abilities. Pistols can only be used at close range, while other guns do not have this limitation.

True, which is why I didn't mention weapons that already have an increased range in the post. A sniper should be able to fire from out-of-room, and they can! So that's good and doesn't need to be changed.

All the rest of Shin's post

Well if you spend all of combat running from the other person, but never attacking, but also never fleeing the area, that just sounds like a good way to tire yourself out and/or prolong things until your faster opponant catches up to you and shanks you. But I do see your point. Like I said; I have no idea how this would really be implemented, and I don't pretend to. But I feel like it's an idea that could be talked through.

Amen, brother. Amen.

I have been in a fight before and changed to a guarded posture, only to have a gun pulled on me. I then tried to disarm the person, only to be told I wasn't close enough to do so. As in a coded echo. So, I had to change postures and wait until it switched over before I could actually try.

Now, on to my thoughts on weapons and distance. I would like to see the effectiveness of various classes of weapons affected by the room you are fighting in. I'll give a few examples. In cramped coffins, unarmed and short blades would work better, while melee and long blades are harder to use, thanks to the lack of space. Pistols would also be penalized, but not as much as smgs and rifles. Then you go bigger rooms, where melee and long blade reach count for more and pistols are also easier to use. Next up, you have more open areas where pistols are at their best and then finally really open areas where smgs and rifles can make best use of their range. This just a basic primer on the idea. A wakizashi would be less hindered in cramped spaces than a katana. Hell, add a ninja-to, a stabbing long blade designed specifically for close quarters combat.

I think this could add some really fun tactical elements to combat. Then you have to plot, trying to get the best battlefield for you and your side.

Like, there is no way thug a and b can take enforcer c with his big fucking boom stick, unless they can catch him in a confined space where they can beat his ass down while he struggles to get the barrel pointed the right way.